Tiss students' union raise concern over lack of transparency and infringement of their rights.

MUMBAI: Following a series of events that were not granted permission or were cancelled, the official students’ union body at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss) has raised concerns over the lack of transparency and communication within the institute and the infringement of students’ rights.

The Students’ Union of Tiss, in a media statement, claimed that the institute promised to come out with detailed guidelines for students in January, but they are yet to frame it. The students demanded inclusion of elected student representatives in the process of drafting the guidelines. There are informal restrictions on students’ activities, without any explanations, including event approvals or venue usage or gatherings, they stated in their letter.

A student said that the institute is also discouraging academic-related events. He claimed that the approvals have been granted only to conduct the cultural events during the institute’s Mosaic festival, but not the academic ones. “Institute spaces are platforms for open discussion and discourse; not subject to arbitrary restrictions and approvals,” mentioned their statement.

Another student said that academic workshops designed by students for PhD scholars to explore the new social theories which include critical perspectives were also cancelled by the administration. He claimed that the student also had to drop the process of organising the Birsa Munda Memorial Lecture, which was to be delivered by a former Tiss faculty too. The students, in their statement, alleged that the administration is trying to create fear among students.

An institute official, however, said that they have not received any formal complaint from students on the issue. "We want our students to focus on academics. They are free to invite renowned academicians or industrialists, but we do not want to encourage any talks or speakers with political affiliation. This is not a political platform," said the official.

Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.